Trying to Look the Reality of Female
Suicide Bombers in the Eyeby Sam Husseini
www.dissidentvoice.org
November 15, 2005

Reports
have it that Sajida al-Rishawi, an Iraqi woman, attempted to blow up
wedding celebrators, passerbyers and herself at the Radisson Hotel in
Amman last Thursday. The Associated Press is reporting that her brother
Thamer al-Rishawi "was killed during a U.S. assault on Fallujah in April
2004, when an air-to-ground missile hit his pickup as he was driving
wounded people to a hospital, according to Ramadi residents speaking on
condition of anonymity for fear of retribution from militants."

There are lots of reasons to doubt virtually
every bit of information one gets from the mainstream media, particularly
in situations like these -- including the implication that the above-cited
sources do not fear retribution from U.S. militants and their proxies. But
if the AP's words bear a resemblance to the actual facts, this case would
have some similarities to the that of Hanadi Jaradat.

Hanadi Jaradat, as "a 29-year-old lawyer
from Jenin [in occupied Palestine], blew herself up in the Haifa Maxim
restaurant in early October [2003], killing 21, including four children.
Her younger brother Fadi was executed by an Israeli undercover unit in
front of her, despite her trying to protect him. On June 12th [2003],
three days before Fadi's [planned] wedding, the family was in the
courtyard of the house. Salah Jaradat, Fadi's cousin and a member of
Islamic Jihad, came to visit his pregnant wife, Ismath, and their
two-year-old son, who were living with the family." The Israelis killed
Salah, Fadi and threatened Hanadi. Four months later, Hanadi took out her
"revenge" on people who were nowhere in sight around when her brother and
cousin were slain. [see:
here]

A month ago, I put up a "profile" of Hanadi
Jaradat on the trendy "soft porn" webpage SuicideGirls, giving her the
identity RealSuidiceGirl. I was trying to get people to examine the
reality of female suicide bombers. Hanadi Jaradat didn't do it for the
promise of seventy, or however many it is, virgins; except maybe to
desperately, disifiguredly provide them with a better life. I doubt she
did it because some imam told her to. What she did was inhumane, but she,
as a human, is crying out to be understood.

But the motivations of suicide bombers,
particularly females, are typically ignored or explained away. Are they
really just victims of patriarchy? These women are seeming to end their
lives for a cause, but so few, in the U.S. at least, seem to curious about
what their motives are for such a definitive act. Is this because so many
people in these United States don't seem to believe in anything at all,
yet -- or is it "and so" -- desperately cling to extraordinarily empty
lives?

GETS ME HOT: You have a very crude culture,
the way you talk of such things.

I LOST MY VIRGINITY: Not.

FAVORITE SEXUAL POSITION: My mother -- who I
actually talk about these things with -- tells me she really enjoys
something I can hardlywait to try -- oh, no, I guess I'll have to

FANTASY: For you to understand.

CURRENT THOUGHTS ON SG: I hate it [this was
a choice on their very limited pulldown menu; I had wanted to say "Shallow
sensuality attempting to distract people from the political horrors of
this world; yet, it's some kind of human contact, sort of."]